An angry citizen came to the city council at the June 21 meeting with complaints of a residence housing more than 60 cats. “There is no law saying how many pets they can have. It’s a disaster, and they’re not even taking care of the animals,” the citizen reported to the council. Hearing the actual number of animals living in one Steelville residence led the council to create an ordinance to address the problem.

The idea behind the new ordinance is to show a decline in the number of animals in each household, thus reducing the number of animals found on the streets, either claimed by owners or running wild. The most recent draft of the ordinance reads that “no person shall posses, harbor, or feed more than three pets, including but not limited to dogs and cats, per residential dwelling unit, except in so far as that number may be increased by the natural increase of any such animal.”

However, the council feels that the wording could conflict with their ultimate goal, and revisions need to be made to eliminate any loopholes. “If it stays like this,” Chief of Police Lydle Davis told the council members, “and someone has nine dogs, all they have to say is that their dog had eight in the litter, and then there would be nothing we can do about it.”

There are two other Steelville ordinances that pertain to animal control that are being considered for adoption as well. Ordinance 73.201 states that all dogs must be registered with the city if they are over the age of six months, on an annual basis. Registrations are $4 for each pet every year, and proof of vaccinations and neutering or spaying must be presented to obtain the city license. Ordinance 73.020 states that all pets must be kept on the property they are registered to. It also goes on to require that dogs be kept on an immediate restraint, such as a leash or fence, that will keep them on their owner’s property.

A third draft of the proposed ordinance will be read at the July 26 city council meeting, after Davis meets with the city attorney to revise the ordinance and decide on fines for not being compliant with the law.